Franchon Crews-Dezurn Wins Undisputed Bout Over Elin Cederroos!
WBO and WBC super middleweight champion Franchon “The Heavy Hitting Diva” Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2 KO’s) was half of a very significant bout for undisputed. In this match, Crews-Dezurn fought and defeated WBA and IBF 168-pound champion Elin Cederroos (8-1, 4 KO’s) by way of unanimous decision. The meaningful match had been roughly two years in the making.
Promoter Eddie Hearn, of Matchroom Boxing, has remained a strong force propelling women’s boxing forward and was instrumental in making this match a reality. Once Hearn had both the Heavy Hitting Diva and Cederroos under contract it was only a matter of time before the ferocious females collided in the ring. For Cederroos however, this duel did snap a nearly two and a half year stint of inactivity which certainly didn’t do her any favors in the match!
While not quite as extreme, Crews-Dezurn also was breaking a 15-month spell of inaction when she slid through the ropes. On January 2, 2021 she fought and toppled Ashleigh Curry by way of unanimous decision. It was her first fight since the war and controversy she had with Alejandra Jimenez. After initially losing to Jimenez after a memorable shoot-out the decision was overturned when it was discovered that Jimenez was flagged for PED’s use.
DAY OF THE DIVA
When the match began, Cederroos provided some problems for Crews-Dezurn with her height and reach, but The Heavy Hitting Diva still pressed the action. Aside from merely coming forward, Crews-Dezurn had great success with her overhand right. Round two largely resembled the first period. The third round saw the fight slow down a bit and housed a number of clinches but now Cederroos had a busted and badly bleeding nose.
The Swedish fighter had her best moments of the fight in the fourth when she blasted Crews-Dezurn with a pair of straight right hands. The shots were hard and moved The Heavy Hitting Diva back but they did not deter her. After eating the blows, Crews-Dezurn went right back to walking down Cederroos whose nose was still leaking like a broken faucet. The bout slowed over the fifth and sixth rounds as the rigors of the match were clearly taking its toll on both fighters.
For the first time in the fight, Cederroos appeared to really bother Crews-Dezurn with her power in the seventh. Then again in the eighth, the Swedish champion rattled The Heavy Hitting Diva on a couple of occasions. Even though the fatigue was definitely gnawing at her bones, Franchon Crews-Dezurn resumed control in the ninth with a number of thudding hooks with both the left and right hands. The two would fight toe-to-toe down the stretch and each woman looked exhausted when the final bell rang. Yet, when all was said and done, Crews-Dezurn prevailed by the scores of 99-91 (twice) and 97-93.
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By: Bakari Simpson
